Fare box



FARE BOX Filed April 8, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l J. SOBCZAK Nov. 1o, 1931.

Filed April 8, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. SOBCZAK Nov. 10, 1931.

FARE BOX Filed April 8. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 gva/anton atto/:Mag

Patented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITED 'STA-Tas i V l JOSEPH SOBCZAK, E DULUTH, INIZIBUNTESOTA, ASSIGf'NDR Oil?` T0; HENRY? LA i IBELLEuFfIHILU'IELMINNESQSLA,`r v f FARE BoxA This invention relates to fare boxes such as used in street cars, busses, or theilike, forv receiving7 Collecting, ork sorting the various coins or tokens received as `fare, and has special reference to a novel formV of device for separating the tokens fromthe rest` of' the coins when deliveredfromy the coin carrying wheel; said tokens being retained withinl a suitable receptacle or chamberbeneat-h the operator as above stated.

scri,ption thereof.

wheel and separated from the other coi-ns which are in a chamber by themselves.

The principal object is toA relieve the operator orconductor of the necessity of separating the tokens from the otherV coins im'- mediat-ely upon taking same from the fare box; this being particularly applicable to what is now commonly known as one man operated cars, that is to say wherey the operator acts both vas the motorman and conductor.

Among the fare boxes commonlyusedr'are those having a main body portion which the sorting for counting purposes-of thecoinsf takes place, and in which the com receiving wheel is disposed at anangle abovethe mechvanism, such Vangle usually being approximate ly and the'wlieell being' covered by'what is known as the die cast hopper. bovethe main body portion of such box-es is usually an upright extension having glass sides through which the coins may be seen as-put into the box before dumping onto the 'wlieelfl through the hopper. Beneath the main body,

portion is a compartlnent forthe receptionof all coins after delivery from'the wheel and'fv which are usually removed' from a single conii partment by the operator and subsequently' separated manually which becomes any ob# jectionable source of labor on the partof. the

Other minor objectsand advantages of the invention will a1 pearY iny the following dei-` Referring now to the accompanying draw# ings, forming part` ofthis application, and

wherein like reference .characters indicate like parts:

' Figure 1 is a perspective-view of a common iiare box, of the type to which my invention in applied, and illustrated' as having the illustrated, six pairs fof coin When each pair of wheel receiving and sortingmechanism ref moved previously therefrom andshowing'my preferred division of compartments beneath the removable mechanism ofthe box;`

Figure 2 is a vertical section on the'line 21-2, Fiaurea I Figure 3 is anenlarged topplan ,ViewV ofv whatfis `l'nown as theudie cast'hopper and cover of'theE coin carrying wheel ofsuch fare boxes asprev-iously described, with` the'up permost coin passage cover removed', 'l

Figuref is an'eleva-tionV looking: into the coin delivery channels from the discharge endthereofor sidel of theA wheelcover, the cover. of' thel token Vchannel beingA shown inj sectionf.'

Figure-ais a fun Sized Side elevation 'of thev removable coin 'sorting unit showing the die l cast hopper in section and the inclined coin receiving wheeltherebeneath in elevation.

lrepresentsthe hopper cover whichsurmounts the coin carrying wheel 2, this cover having the hopper-li "e bulge portion 3 with the opening 4 in` the,` oblique facethereof through which lthe coins the-wheel, the latter-being disposed, as before stated, atsubstantiallyll-O. This wheel:

as is -well known is rotated manually as by a suitabl'e-'cranl'eV 51', (and gear mechanism il-r lustrated at protruding'from one side of the box andgearing andk is designedto: discharge the/coins into the compartmentsbelow thewheel, aftenfirst being elevated therebyfand when thuscarried the-coins and tokens. areseparated by mechanism operated in con junction with the` wheel This mechanism` includes in the boxV here vfall when dumpedz from the hopper'portion'O-of the box ontol gather or become engaged by a coin, ly-

gathering ele- .'V

1e cast hopper 79,5, v

separating the tokens from the .other coins and causing them to traverse different discharge channels from the wheel 2.

In delivery from the wheel 2, the coins arey taken therefrom by what is known, as the coin picker, the forward end"of whichiis illus-` trated at 5 in the drawings and is guided as by the groove 6 in the wheel and is inclined away from the wheel, delivering all of the coins and tokens through the passageway .indicated at 7.

Such wheel covers 1 are also provided with a second or lower passageway indicatedat 8, it'being more tortuous than the upper passage, but delivering at one sidev thereof as at 9, while the delivery of thefother passageway is indicated at 10, or if not so found must be provided for the operation of my present invention. The coin receiving ends or mouths of the passageways or channels 7 and 8 are one above the other approximately opposite the innermost terminus of the opening 4 on the cover, andthe terminus ofthe opening 4 is formed by the wall 11 which extends inwardly from the opening forming'the side wall of the hopper-like elevation 3.l Upon this wall and integral therewith is formed an upright bearing member 12 adjacent the inner side of the channels, as opposite the side of such wall the channels occur one above the other and separated by the covering member 13 of the channel 8, said covering mem- PF." l...

ber extending across beneath the channel 7 and forming the bottom-thereof, as at 14. Upon the outermost side of the channels and directly opposite the bearing member 12 is a similarly shaped upright bearing member 15, and transverse the upper end of these bearing members is normally carried the shaft or spindle 16. The covering member for the passageway or channel 7 is illustrated in dotted lines at 17, is attached at one end as by the screws 18 to the side walls of the mouth of said channel passes arcuately up over the passageway, thence underneath theY rod 16 and in the structure as commonly found downwardly to the upper wall 18 of the hopper cover, where it is attached by screws indicated at 19. j

This entire mechanism thus far described is as above stated, found in some types of fare boxes, and forms no part of my present invention, except as cooperative therewith.

My invention resides in the bending up of the extreme forward end of the cover 17 to a position as shown at 20 in Figure 3 of the 'formin'cra pivotal support vfor the ramp, the

forward end of which normally rests withina suitable transverse slight depression on theramp 24 beneath same, and which latter ramp'extends considerably beyond the ramp 22, terminating in the forward palletshaped end 5, previously described. This latter rampv or coin picker isV attached as by the screws 25 to the notched extension ofthe floor 26 of the lowermost coin passageway or channelv 8, and which floor spaced some distance above the coin carrying wheel 2, and maintains a permanent position as shown in respect to the coin carrying wheel so that all coins are lifted thereby onto at least the forward end thereof.

J ust forwardly ofthe sha-ft 21 and formed` integral with the ramp 22, are upwardly exally disposed transverse wall 28 therebetween, said wall 28 having an elongated hole 29 centrally thereof, this wall being spaced considerably above the surface of the ramp, in fact occupies approximately the upper half of the uprights 27.

Through the hole 29 protrudes the angu# larly disposed free terminus 30 of the ramp operating arm 31 which is fixed for example as'by a cotter to the upright shaft 32 mounted within the projecting lug 33 on the edge of the hopper cover. This shaft 32 extends downwardly through the lug 33 and upon the lower end thereof has fixed in a like manner to the arm 31 the arm 34 which is arcuate in form and lies normally close against the lower edge of the hopper cover, except adjacent its freeend where the lower edge of the hopper is cutaway and permits the extreme angularly disposed free end 35 to assume a position beneath and close to the lower circumferential surface of the coin j carrying wheel or disc 2.

Now for cooperation with this free end of the arm 34 I have fixed to the lower circumferential edge of the disc 2 arcuately shaped plates 36 at intervals about the disc and in this instance I have employed only two, for on the coin carrying disc here illustrated there are but two pair of token catching elements, and these plates are so positioned in advance of the token catching elements that they will engage the free end 35 of the arm 34 the same direction which will tip up the ramp4 22 and allow the token then just falling from the wheel to pass intermediate of the ramps 22 and 24 and out through the token channel 8 to its respective compartment below the wheel or disc. But immediately upon the passage of the token between the ramps the respective plate 36 will have passed the free end 35 of the arm 34 and permit of the return of the arms 8l and 34 to their normal position which l0 is maintained by the contractile helical spring 37, one end of which is attached to the arm 31 and the other end hooked into the end wall 1l of the opening 4 in the hopper cover, thus closing the passage between the forward ends of the ramps and compelling all other coins as they are carried about on the wheel by their respective catching element to pass over the ramp 22 through the passage 7 and discharge into their respective receptacle, below the wheel operating mechanism. This receptacle or chamber for the promiscuous coins is illustrated at 38 and is `preferably considerably larger than lthe chamber or receptacle 39 alongside of same for vthe reception of the 25 tokens only;`-this being an obvious convenience to the operator in removingthe coins and tokens from the box.

It will'be noted that the entrances to the compartments 38 and 89 are illustrated at 40 and 41 respectively so as to register with the discharges 9 and l0 of the coin passageways previously described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In combination, a fare box coin and token carrying and selecting wheel, and two intermittently cooperating ramps for conveyp ing the coins and tokens `to, separate depositories.

2. In a fare box having a coin and token carrying and selectin@ wheel and a coin and token picking ramp for said wheel, a token picking ramp above said first mentioned ramp and means operable by the wheel for causing the token picking ramp `to intermittently function at predetermined times.

3. In combination a fare box coin and token carrying selecting wheel and a fixedramp for conveying the coins and tokens from said Y Wheel towards a single passageway, and an intermittently operable ramp for cooperative engagement with the rst mentioned ramp whereby all tokens are directed to a separate passageway.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

f JOSEPH SOBCZAK. 

